News Release

Third Decade of Partnership Begins for the World Economic Forum in India

18 November 2005 - Geneva, Switzerland: More than 500 participants will take an active part in this year’s Summit, whose working theme isA Young and Resurgent India: Its Impact on Regional and Global Strategies.

Key participants in the Summit will include:Manmohan Singh, Prime Ministerof India,who will give a keynote address. Some of the most important members of his Cabinet also taking part in the Summit will include:Palaniappan Chidambaram, Minister of Finance;Kamal Nath, Minister of Commerce and Industry;Sharad Chandra Pawar, Minister of Agriculture;Kapil Sibal, Minister of Science and Technology;Dayanidhi Maran, Minister of Communications and Information Technology;Mani Shankar Aiyar, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas; andMontek S. Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission.

"These are good times not only for India, but also for foreign investors who are realizing the importance of India as a trustworthy, reliable and long-term partner and investment destination," said Colette Mathur, Director, India and South Asia, World Economic Forum.

The highlights of the India Economic Summit 2005 programme are:

·The focus on the following core sub-themes:

-Understanding the Strategic Impact of India’s Growth;-Developing Strategies Aligned with Policy Priorities and New Reforms;-Engaging in the Transformation of the Indian Economy.·The results of a major public opinion pollconducted exclusively by NDTV for the India Economic Summit on how India can figure among the top-ten competitive economies within the next ten years. Key data points, public opinion polling and cross-sectoral consultations will be at the centre of the first-ever Town Hall meetingat the Summit, where electronic voting technology will be used. According to the results, a set of recommendations will then be discussed and submitted to the Indian government at the Summit.

·India and the World: Scenarios to 2025. A report built in collaboration with over 100 international experts, which describes three possible futures for India over the next 20 years, will be launched.

·Rajasthan Education Initiative launch.This initiative is a public-private partnership (PPP) in education and will build upon the success of a similar initiative launched by the World Economic Forum in Jordan. The initiative will aim to bridge the gender divide in the state and unleash the power of information and communications technology to make a quantum leap in providing educational opportunities to underserved communities in both urban and rural areas. This programme will be launched at the Summit.

·Announcement of the Social Entrepreneur of the Year award in India. CII and the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship have undertaken a search for India’s leading social entrepreneur. The Summit will serve as a platform for announcing the winner and finalists of this competition, which will take place for the first time in India and will be run thereafter on an annual basis. Similar search and selection processes are under way in 24 countries.

The World Economic Forum is an international institution committed to improving the state of the world through public-private cooperation in the spirit of global citizenship. It engages with business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

Incorporated as a not-for-profit foundation in 1971 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the Forum is independent, impartial and not tied to any interests. It cooperates closely with all leading international organizations (www.weforum.org).